


Fish Food

by Angelicat2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Choking, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Shiro (Voltron), MerMay, Merman Shiro, Scared Keith (Voltron), Trapped, merman Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: All his life, Keith's been told that shark merfolk are dangerous. He ends up coming face-to-face with one while trapped in an abandoned ship. But...this one seems nice. Maybe shark merfolk aren't really that way.
Relationships: Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 190





	Fish Food

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, I have posted a MerMay Sheith fic after years of sitting on it. Enjoy!!!

Keith was a goddamn idiot. 

Pain spiked through him as he cried out. He tried to move, but more agony slashed through him, centered on his right shoulder and the spot just before his tail fins, his peduncle. Something was wrapped around the tail, digging into his flesh. He couldn't move his tail much as he fought the stupid trap that struck him. 

He had been such an idiot. 

He shouldn't have been searching the abandoned ship. 

He had been swimming nearby when he had seen something sparkle through the broken window, something that looked familiar. He had been small enough to twist his way through the sharp shards of glass. Inside had been filled with murky water, some algae clinging to the steel walls. 

He hadn't even pressed anything when something sent out a loud banging noise, startling him enough that he had bumped into a few boxes piled up in the center of the room. Before he could think, some sharp wires crashed into him, pinning his tail down and grabbing onto his shoulder. 

It hurt.

It hurt a lot. 

He tried to wriggle out of them, but it made it worse. The wires were a good few layers into his skin, tearing through him like a shark's jaw was clenched into his flesh…

His blood drifted up into the water, floating away on the current that went out the window. He continued to fight, attempting to break free. The wires only dug deeper, causing more pain. Reaching out, he couldn’t even get to the window he had used. His tail spiked as wire wove even deeper, cutting off some feeling to bits of his fluke. In his fight to get free, he hadn’t noticed the wire on his shoulder had adjusted until it sat on his throat. He suddenly became very aware of the fact as the metal tugged on his neck, making him freeze.

Oh no…

Shit…

He was going to need to breathe air from the surface at some point. He didn’t have gills like some merfolk did. He wasn’t made that way. He was a dolphin merfolk and they didn’t have gills like that. Sure, they could be underwater longer than regular dolphins could but...he couldn’t stay here. He’s either bleed out or drown…

Something caught his eye as he whipped around to see the other side of the room. His blood was now dissipating in a trail through the room, which meant a current had to have been going that way now...but something would have had to open up.

There was a door on that side.

Said door was opening up silently, something behind it.

Keith stared at it. What could be opening such a door? 

And then he caught a glimpse of scales. The blackish grey fin he saw was too distinctive to be anything other than a shark.

It was okay. He could take on a shark. He could defeat a shark. All it took was a quick jab to the nose or eye and it would leave or...die if he had to. Sharks were smart, but much weaker than any merfolk. He was going to be okay.

Until he saw a clawed hand sneak its way into the doorway. The appendage was pale with blackish scales on the fingers as it gripped the handle of the metal door.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

He was screwed. 

He couldn't fight a shark merfolk. Even in normal conditions he wasn't strong enough. Sharks attacked dolphins. Merfolk did the same. And now, Keith was stuck here, trapped at one's mercy.

Oh shit.

Oh fuck. No. No. No.

What if the sharkman or woman brought friends? Was it his blood that had drawn them in? They must be big if they weren't taking the window in. 

A loud creak echoed through the water as Keith's heart sped up. The door rushed open the rest of the way as a shoulder appeared. White bangs weaving around in the water as the sharkman swam closer to him. Keith watched in fear as the whole guy came inside.

The merman was bigger than Keith by quite a bit. He had razor sharp claws and pointed ears, teeth with rows and rows of sharp daggers. The bit of his hair that wasn't white was black as coal, cut short in some weird fashion Keith's never seen. The man is missing his right arm right below the shoulder, scars decorating the flesh of his stump. But there's a metal arm there, made of silver and black. His torso was strong with plenty of scars and that mashes into his shark tail. The fins are also sharp and triangular except for the one that has a big cut on it. There's an old bite scar along his back near his tail that surprises Keith.

Looking up at the other's face, he panics. 

Grey eyes.

Missing arm replaced by a prosthetic one…

Oh fuck fuck fuck.

This was the Champion. The one shark merfolk no one messed with. He was brutal, having fought off plenty of merfolk. Some said that he even sometimes ate those opponents. 

And Keith was stuck in this trap, about to be fish food.

Fuck fuck fuck.

"D-don't come any closer!" Keith screamed before growling, "Just leave!"

"Why would I leave?" The merman asked with wide eyes, looking at him from head to tail, eyes pausing on his shoulder and tail, "You're bleeding."

"Don't come any closer," he hissed angrily before trying to move back away from the sharkman. Unfortunately, the wire around his throat only tugged harder, starting to cut off his airway. His tail also lit up with pain before he thrashed more. The older man swam closer slowly, only making his panic go up, "Leave me alone!"

"Hey, it's okay," the man's hand reached out at him, which he flinched away from. He growled again but the sharkman just hummed softly, "I won't hurt you. I'm going to get you out of here."

"No," Keith glared before he hissed, diving forward. He slashed out with his claws, getting a small cry of pain from the other who ducked back. About to follow him, he suddenly remembered that the wire was still there when his air was gone. Gasping in non-existent air, he panicked. His claws grasped at the thing closing off his throat. He thrashed harder than before but the wire only slipped tighter, making his head spin.

The shark merman comes at him again. Keith won't give up, he's going to die either way. He'd rather choke to death on this wire than before torn to pieces by this...this shark.

He growls, hissing at the man who backs up in shock, eyes wide. Keith doesn't pay attention to the heightened senses as he uses the distraction to his advantage, vision spotty with black film. With a choked snarl, he slams into the other, shoving him against the other wall near the door. Unfortunately, the wire slips up right over his jawline, wrenching his head backwards as he gags on nothingness, body feeling heavy. The water distorts strangely as he coughs on nothingness. He yanks on the wire with his hands, but it's much too coiled. His blade would never cut through without slicing his head from his shoulders. He struggles stubbornly on, even when past his limit. 

He'd never quit. 

The sharkman slams into him this time, pinning him down onto the ship's floor, his giant hands holding him down.

"Stop moving," he snarls as Keith yanks. The younger refused to give in, bucking up against him before his vision started to fade, turning black as midnight. Keith reaches out, grasping at thick white strands before he grows limp, unable to move. He feels fingers on his throat and he prays that the shark merman kills him quickly. He doesn't want to be tortured like the others have been. He doesn't want his mom and pack to find his body torn to shreds.

"I got you…" The shark merman says as everything warps out of place. Keith goes limp, not of his account, before he passes out.

…..

When Keith wakes, he expects to be dead. Hell, he expects to be chained up to some type of torture device or something. He expects pain and agony to hit. But…

It doesn't. 

Keith is okay.

He wakes to sunlight. It surprises him as he takes in a deep breath. Air comes to him easily, though his throat hurts a bit. His eyes slip to his wounds, but both are wrapped up. He slides a hand to his neck, feeling the bandage there too. Nothing is holding him in place. There's no chains or collars or nets. He finally focuses on the place he's in.

It's nice. It's clearly a cave of some sort. But unlike most caves, the opening at the top lets in lots of light. There's a section for water and another for algae-packed ground. Keith's resting against both, head out of the water but the rest of him in it.

The place felt...homey but lonely.

"Hey, you're awake," a voice interrupts his thoughts as he glances over. Keith instantly tenses, waiting for an attack that never comes. The shark merman blinks, giving him a concerned look, "I was getting worried that the wire hurt you too much to repair the damage. But you're okay."

"Worried?" Keith wheezes out, voice annoyingly tight and cracking from the previous choking.

"Hey, don't speak. Let your throat have a chance to heal," the man stays the good six feet away from him, "And yeah, I was worried. You passed out on me. I thought you died. I'm glad you're okay though."

"What…" Keith swallows thickly before placing his hand over his side. His heart nearly stops when he fails to feel his sheath there. He growls slightly, glaring at the shark, "Where is my blade?"

"This?" The man pulls out the weapon. It's no longer in the sheath, the gem glowing to Keith's heartbeat. Keith automatically reaches for it but his right arm spikes with pain. He whines as he stops, resting more against the rocks, "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to do anything with it. It just...looks familiar. Someone freed me and they had this type of thing."

Keith stares at him. He's never met him. But the Blade of Marmora pod all had the same symbol on their blades. He remembers Ulaz saying something about a shark merman…

"Ulaz saved you," Keith watches as the other's face goes shocked, "He's part of my pod. He's uhhh...basically my uncle."

"Wait...you're part of the Blade of Marmora?" The man asks incredulously, "I just assumed…"

"Assumed?" Keith raises his brow.

"Well, you're just so tiny and Ulaz was bigger than me so I just thought all of the Blade was like that…" The shark merman pauses, eyes going impossibly wide before he corrects himself, stammering away, "I mean, t-tiny can b-be good too. I like t-tin-y...I mean, uhhh...you're strong?"

Keith blinks. This man is clearly not what he was depicted as. He was more dork than anything else. Keith laughs, ignoring the burning in his throat.

"What?" The guy asks with furrowed brows before he blinks, "What?"

"Oh my god," Keith snickers, "You're more dolphin than shark."

"Is that bad?" The other blinks before frowning, "What's wrong with sharks?"

"I…" Keith pauses before shrugging, wincing at the burn in his shoulder, "I've always been taught that shark merfolk are mean. Sorry...about...yeah, being…"

"Scared?" The man smiles back softly before rubbing his newest scar over his nose. It's bandaged too, "I get that. I've always been told dolphin merfolk were weak, but my face knows otherwise now."

"Heh," Keith smiles before guilt hits, "Definitely not weak. And yeah, I'm the smallest in my pod. It's okay to say it. My name is...Keith."

"Keith?" The merman comes closer, testing his name out, "Keith is a nice name. I am sorry that I scared you. I hadn't meant to. I was only searching the ship's depth for some fish to eat. My name is Shiro."

"You eat fish?" Keith wheezes softly, eyes widening, "But what about…"

"Dolphins?" Shiro asks quietly before shaking his head, "I don't eat dolphins. I eat fish. Tuna, oarfish, other things, the occasional squid."

“Oh,” Keith blinks before his head tilts, “Have you tried octopus?”

“Hah,” Shiro sweats nervously before shaking his head, “No. They kind of tend to eat sharks, you know?”

“What?” Keith stares at him before moving closer. He grabs onto the other who huffs in surprise as they both scoot back, “You’ve never been in a fight with one, right? This scar didn’t come from that...did it?”

He’s asking it innocently, wanting to genuinely know about whether these scars came from that. He runs his slim fingers over dark scars, actually worried. Now that he knows the shark merman is nice, he’s more relaxed and willing to be near him. He’s not that bad to look at either, obviously now that he can take time to inspect him.

“No,” Shiro shakes his head, face sad but strong, “I didn’t get attacked by an octopus or octopus merfolk. That one was from accidentally brushing against something. So...Speaking of scars, I didn’t know if you wanted to know so I wanted to tell you. When I tried to get you out, the wire snapped into your face. You’re uhhh...probably going to scar...not that...not that it makes you any less a-at-attractive, err...I mean…”

The poor merman flusters bright red, making the rest of his body stick out in the cave. Keith tilts his head more, blinking before laughing.

“I’ve been told that I look good,” Keith answers back before huffing, “I still don’t get why though.”

“Well, it’s true,” Shiro nods before carefully bringing his hand to Keith’s cheek. It’s the flesh hand, the one he gently places on Keith's skin. The smaller merman can’t help but lean in with a tiny sigh. It feels so good, “You’re definitely beautiful, even with the scars.”

“Yeah?” Keith asks softly, eyes staring right at the other, “Well, you’re pretty handsome yourself.”

“I...uhhh...no,” Shiro laughs before frowning, “I have scars…”

“Me too.”

“But…”

“Doesn’t make you any less attractive either,” Keith defends, leaning in closer before pressing his belly to Shiro’s own. The simple touch makes him want to practically purr with happiness as his hand locks onto the other’s side, “I’m not scared of you. Not now. I’m just telling the truth.”

“But…”

Keith glares at him before leaping forward, wrapping the other into a hug. He quickly nuzzles into the older’s neck, enjoying his scent as his gills gently move near his cheek. The other freezes in shock before his arms find their way around his back. Keith sighs with joy before he rests his head down on the other’s chest. Already, he’s beginning to feel tired.

“Hey, you gonna be good to stay here for the night?” Shiro whispers in his ear. Keith shakes his exhaustion long enough to stare up at the other who is worried but looking at him fondly, “You’re clearly too tired and wounded to get back home right now.”

“I like that,” Keith breathes out softly, “I...I want to stay.”

“Okay,” Shiro agrees before rubbing along his hair. Keith just sighs again before sinking into the feeling of touch and warmth, “Just sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”


End file.
